HaHA! We've done it old fellow! Yes, I'm updating, and cars don't fly yet! I feel good. Sorry, should have clarified before; Bane is a new character, the first of many, although the story will most likely focus on her and Venton, when it comes to the demon half (and Missy of course). Just try to follow here, it might be kinda nuts. Shut up and read!

Raven chose this opportunity to sit down on an annoyingly floral chair, a barely audible sigh escaping her. Of course, she'd sooner die than show it, but she was extremely tired. She had been extremely tired for months now.

Missy gazed around the room as though looking for inspiration before turning to Robin, who had a nervous smile on his face, the kind that generally means you're about to lose your lunch or pass out. He was hoping it would be neither.

"I trust that Raven has explained most of the situation to you?"

Raven nodded firmly, but Robin seemed uncertain. Somehow he had lost that firm conviction in the truth of her words that had come barely an hour before. "Yeah…I suppose."

Raven rolled her eyes in frustration, but Missy seemed unsurprised. "True, it does sound ridiculous doesn't it? The sad part is that it's all true." She shook her head, the brown of her eyes seeming to shift into darker tones, though never turning black. "Venton did possess you, and you nearly…excuse me, you did lose your life. A conscious choice on your part allowed me to create a form of 'second chance'. The success of it depended on one gravely important thing."

Silence echoed through the room as the thick doors and walls were put to the test, entirely blocking out the noise of the corridor just outside. Robin caught himself wringing his hands and immediately stopped, beginning to feel a definite passing out vibe.

After what seemed far too long for comfort, Missy continued. "I had to make sure you didn't remember any of it. Remembering would be your undoing, no matter how hard I tried to heal you. A human cannot survive such an encounter with a demon; if by some miracle they are left alive, the memory of their torture alone will slowly destroy their mind and body until not even a heartbeat remains. The taint of the demon will linger, a mark forever instilled that cannot be erased. Death is inevitable."

Raven rose from her chair, amethyst eyes wide and face starkly white as horror coursed through her veins. No…

Robin remained silent, his fists clenched and his mouth firmly closed.

A small sigh escaped the wispy little nurse, her eyes fixed on the ground, breaking Robin's gaze for the first time. "For this reason, I did everything I could to bury the memories for you. Only bury them; a memory can never truly be erased, merely pushed from the forefront of your thoughts. I had hoped against hope that I would be successful, but…" A glistening teardrop escaped and rolled silently down her cheek, the embodiment of perfection in sorrow. "I'm sorry."

"No!"

Robin jumped, his masked eyes darting towards Raven, shocked to see the angry spots of color on her pale cheeks. He had rarely seen Raven so angry before…or was it fear that distorted her face and glazed her eyes?

"It's not true! Not one, not one of my books said a word about any such thing! You're wrong, he's fine! He'll be fine!" The empathy was shaking, her tiny white fists clenched at her sides as electricity crackled and spread in waves from her being. "Robin is fine!"

Missy shook her head, her gaze firmly focused on Raven. "No, he is not. You have to face this now, Raven—"

"No!"

"—before too much time passes. I did everything that I could; if he's remembering, it's only a matter of time until—"

"Stop!"

"Until the effects destroy him!"

Raven's eyes widened as the words echoed through the room, rebounding off the immaculate walls and assaulting her ears over and over again. The red faded from her cheeks, replaced with a ghostly white. Her fists relaxed, fingers hanging limply at her sides as tears gathered, threatening to spill over.

Silence.

The next sound was the last thing that anyone expected. Robin laughed, shaking his head and backing away slowly, masked eyes wide and face pale. "You're insane. Both of you…completely insane—" He broke off to gasp for breath through his wheezing laughter. "Killed by a memory…bull. Complete bull. I suggest you—completely psychotic—couldn't possibly—" He broke off, a sickly smile still plastered to his face, though it was fast fading as his gaze darted from one deadly serious expression to another. He stumbled slightly, fumbling for the doorknob with his eyes still fixed on Raven. In a flash it was open, and he disappeared into the sea of people outside the room.

Raven raced for the door, her hand outstretched to catch him although he was already gone. "Robin, wait!"

Missy grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back gently. "Leave him for a moment…he just needs some time. He has to understand it in his own mind before he talks to you." She sighed sadly, turning Raven to face her. "It's his nature, dear."

Raven darted a desperate glance towards the door, then sighed, giving in to the request. "How…how long does he…?"

Missy sighed, sorrow reflected in her deep brown eyes. "It is indefinite…he could have as long as a year, or as little as a month. It all depends on him…and how badly he wants to remember."

"What do you mean?" growled Raven. "He doesn't want to remember! Why would he want to remember something that will kill him?"

"That may be the case, for his conscious self. But for his subconscious…for his soul, it is not. He feels a need to know, to learn from his mistakes and never allow the same pain to happen twice. Inside, he believes that these memories must be brought to the surface…his soul, his mind, and his body will never stop fighting until they are." Missy placed a gentle hand on Raven's shoulder, her eyes almost pleading. "Nothing can be done."

Raven jerked away from her, angry tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me?" she yelled, shaking with the force of her anger and loss. "If you had told me before…Why didn't you just let him die? Why did you condemn him to this suffering? Now everything that happens will be my fault! Why did you bring him back?"

Missy's face grew solemn, her eyes becoming diamond hard and even reproachful. "Do Not consider Robin dead. Do Not consider his life over, and his purpose eliminated. This fight is far from ended." Having said all that she was willing to at the moment, Missy turned and bustled from the room, leaving Raven staring blankly at an empty white room.

Robin ran flat out, his head beginning to pound as his feet stumbled, sending him knocking into random individuals. He hardly even noticed, just kept running, breathing hard and heart thumping madly. Shoving open the lobby door, he gasped as the cold air hit him in the face.

The rain fell like tiny needles of ice, hitting his face, his arms, his head…a stumble sent him crashing to the cold wet ground, pain shooting through his knee and outstretched palm as concrete bit into his flesh. Gasping for air, he tugged off the slippers and struggled to his feet, doing everything in his power simply to keep running. He had to run…run as long and as hard as he could. Run from the truth…

It was many and many a year ago…

"You're the one my father's been tracking. The vigilante."

The pain increased, throbbing, beating wildly in his head, like a monster pounding to come out. Why is this happening to me?

In a kingdom by the sea

"Oh would you look at that?"

--maiden she lived—love and be loved—

"A target."

Robin clutched his head in anguish, the throbbing sending bursts of light dancing before his eyes. He was no longer running…he wasn't sure if he was even standing any more. Stop…make it stop…

But we loved with a love that was more than love

"I hate—this little reunion—think it's time—go."

--my Annabel Lee

"Break, damn you!"

Shut her up—kingdom—angels—

"STOP!" he screamed, but hardly even heard himself as searing pain spread throughout his body, lighting every vein on fire. "PLEASE STOP!"

"Oh no. You aren't dead…but you're going to wish you were before I'm through with you."

Robin struggled to lift his head, but found that his muscles had been turned to jello. All he could see was a pair of feet, covered in leather boots, artistically ripped and shredded to the point of being ragbag rejects. This did nothing to ease his mind.

"To be quite honest, I pity you, Rob. That must hurt like hell, eh?"

Hell…

"See you in Hell."

Tears streamed freely down his face as Robin slowly sank to the ground, his head in his hands, his mind a blur of memories and pain. Amidst the horror and confusion, one thought was his own. It rang throughout every part of him, numbing and killing every ounce of fight he had left…maybe he would never get it back.

"I'm dying."

Um…yeah mean chapter. With all those flashbacks, I wanted to achieve a very choppy confused quality…I could hear how it sounded in my head; hopefully I conveyed it well in words. This is mostly just a linking chapter…the next one should be getting into the major plot. Review please. -Dusty